Nut-lock



(No Model.)

W. S. HARRIS.

NUT LOCK.

No. 350,827. Patented Oct. 12, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE,

VILLTAM SPUR/FON HARRIS, OF ARLINGTON, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO \V. R.TURN, .OF BARDVELI), lx'EN'lUGKY.

NUT-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,827, dated October12, 1886.

Application filed November l2, 1865. Serial No. 1923577.

To ali whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, W TLLIAM SHE l xroN lili-in- Ris, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Arlington, in the count)Y of Ballard andState of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement inNut-Locks, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has relation to improvements in nut-locks; and it eonsistsin the peculiar' construction and combination of parts, snbstantially ashereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed ont in the claims.

The primary object of my invention is t0 provide a nntloek which shallhe easily and readily applied to and removed from the se curing-bolts,and to provide means whereby a longitudinal strain or pressure isexerted on the bolts to keep them l'rom rattling in their sockets.

A further object of my invention is t0 provide means whereby each nutcan be locked in position independentlyof the other, thus permittingofthe removal of one nut without disturbing the other nut; and it hasfurther for its object to combine simplicity with strength anddurability of construction and thorough effectiveness of operation.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a side elevation ot' a nntlockembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional Viewon the line :c ,r of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of thesupporting-plate, together with the pivoted locking-arms. Fie'. i is aview of one of the bolts with its attached spring and protectingsleeve.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the rail, 2B, thesh-plates, C, the bolts passing through t-he'sh-plates and rail, and Dthe securingnuts fitted on the outer ends of the bolts.

E designates a washer fitted over each of the bolts and bearing againstthe outer vertical face of one of t-he fish-plates, and F a coiled orhelical spring fitted over each of the bolts, and bearing at one endagainst the washer E and at its opposite end againsta supporting plate,G, extending from and fitted over the 'bolts C. The securing-nuts D bearagainst the arms from movement in a vertical plane.

(No model.)

outer' face of the supportingplate G, and are each engaged by alooking-arm, H, two of which are provided and pivoted on a common centeror pin, lr, arranged between the two nuts. The outer end of eachlocking-arnrH is provided with a slotted head, r, which fits over theside faces of the nut, and thus se` curely locks the same in positionfrom turning. The inner ends of each locking-arm are bent, as shown, t-oadapt them to move past 6o each other at their inner ends, and said armsmove in a plane above the nuts and supporting plate or bar (l.

l designates a sleeve or thimble fitted over the bolt and the coiledspring, to protect them from rust and the action ofthe weather.

To apply my improved nut-lock the boltsK are first inserted through thefish-plates and rail, the washers E then fitted over the bolts andagainst one of the fish-plates, the coiled 7o springs and sleeves arenow placed thereon, the securing-bar fitted over the bolts and pressedor forced inwardly against the tension or force of the springs by meansof the nuts D bearing against'the same, and, finally, when sut'ii- 75cient force is exerted on the bar, the lockingarms H are engaged withthe nuts.

By means of the coiled springs bearing against the bar or plate and thesecuringnuts, a longitudinal strain is exerted on the bolts, So whichserves to keep them from movement and rattling in their sockets, andwhen the arms H engage the nuts the latter are effectually preventedfrom turning and becoming detached from the bolts. 8 5

Each nut-locking arm can be disengaged from its nut independently of orwithout its fellow arm, and the nuts can thus be secured in placeindependently of each other and removed from the bolts.

In order to detine the nature, scope, and advantages of my invention Iwould state that heretofore it has been proposed to provide a nut-lockwith looking-arms pivotcd tothe fishplate and having a notch and plateadapted to engage a nut, a locking-plate arranged to bear on thecontiguous pivoted ends of the' locking-arms, and a screw to secure theplate in place and prevent the pivoted nut-locking I Too am also awarethat a nut-lock has been provided which comprises two arms or plates,the outer ends of which are enlarged and provided with flanges to engagethe upper and lower faces ot" two adjacent nuts, while the inner ends ofthe arms are pivoted together so as to move in a horizontal plane, andhave openings therein that arein alignment with each other when thedevice is adjusted in place, so that 1o apin can be passed verticallythrough the same to hold the arms rigidly together and against movement.In the device first above referred to the locking-arms are pivoteddirectly to the -ish-plates, and they cannot be i 5 adj usted laterallyto engage th'e nuts very squarely and firmly when the nuts lie at adistance from the tish-plate; and in the latter device above.referred tothe arms are wholly supported on the nuts, and are thus supported 2oentirely independent of the fish-plate and have no connection therewith.My invention differs from these devices in the fact that I employ aplate that is 'loosely mounted on the bolts, and which is passednormally away from the fish-plates by springs coiled around the boltsand interposed between the movable plate and the sh-plate. On thismovable I springpressed plate my nut-locking arms are pivoted by aIsingle bolt, and `these arms are 3o adjustable independently of eachother over the nuts that are screwed on the free ends of the bolts, andserve to retain the movable plate in place and to prevent the bolts fromrattling in their sockets.

The advantage gained by my device 'over the constructions hereinbeforementioned lies in the fact that when the nuts are turned on the bolt themovable spring-pressed plate is also adj usted so that the nut-lockingarms al- 40 ways occupy the same relative position to the nuts, and arethus maintained in a position so that they can squarely and firmlyengage the nuts to lock them in place.

I am also aware that it is not new to provide a bolt of a nut-lock witha springv that lies between the fish-plates and the nut to prevent thebolt from rattling, nor to provide a cliambered washer having a coiledspring to ally-movable plate, whereby when the nutsr are adj usted thespring-pressed plate and the nut-locking arms will also be adjusted toadapt the arms to firmly engage the nuts, substantially as described.

2. In a nut-lock, the combination of the rails, the fish-plates, thethrough-bolts, a plate, G, supported on two adjacent bolts and movablethereon laterally of the rails, the coiled springs F, encircling thebolts and bearing against the lish-plates and the laterally-movableplate, thc sleeves I,inclosing the springs and bolts, the nuts D,bearing against the plateG to retain the same on the bolts, and thelocking-arms H, carried by the laterallymovable plate and pvoted on apin, h, common to both arms, and further provided with the enlargednotched ends h', substantially as described. p

In testimony that I claim the foregoingas my ownI have hereto affixed mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: J. W. EDwARDs, B. B. BLADE.

